7/28/08

CITY ISLAND'S POLISH BRETHREN

Lauren shows polish producer Grzegorz around the set.

City Island is currently twinned with the small but perfectly formed, polish city of Krakow.Gremi Productions, headed up by Grzegorz Hajdarowicz, is a fledgling company that is a pioneer, in Polish terms, with their funding of international projects (see article below). This collaboration with Hajdarowicz brings yet another culture to an already diverse production. From Croatia to Argentina, France to Brazil "City Island" as a production extends well beyond the bounds of the Bruckner Expressway.Clam-diggers and mussel-suckers unite! (see image below for an explanation)

Some of the "City Island" team pose at Cannes in May. From left to right: Lauren Versel, Grzegorz Hajdarowicz, Andy Garcia, Lucia Seabra and Raymond De Felitta.

Below is a Hollywood Reporter Article on Gremi Film Production:

*******************************************************Poland's Gremi on 'Island' with GarciaProject was presented at Berlin's Co-production Market

By Vladimir Kozlov

July 21, 2008, 05:39 PM ETMOSCOW -- For the first time in Polish film history, a local company is investing in a co-production with major Hollywood stars.

Krakow-based Gremi Film Production is providing 32% of the unspecified budget for U.S. film "City Island," directed by Raymond De Felitta and starring Andy Garcia, Gremi production coordinator Bozena Cerba told The Hollywood Reporter.

"The project was presented during the Co-production Market in Berlin 2008, and that is how we entered into the co-production," she said, adding that the movie, which is currently being filmed, is expected to be completed by early 2009.

July 21, 2008, 05:39 PM ETMOSCOW -- For the first time in Polish film history, a local company is investing in a co-production with major Hollywood stars.

Krakow-based Gremi Film Production is providing 32% of the unspecified budget for U.S. film "City Island," directed by Raymond De Felitta and starring Andy Garcia, Gremi production coordinator Bozena Cerba told The Hollywood Reporter.

"The project was presented during the Co-production Market in Berlin 2008, and that is how we entered into the co-production," she said, adding that the movie, which is currently being filmed, is expected to be completed by early 2009.

We were in Cannes selling (or helping to sell) some foreign rights to the film in order to have enough money to make it. The backward-bending process of piecing together a movie like this includes many such transactions. Actually, Andy's excellent Cachao tribute band had been invited to Cannes to play a party and since he was going to be there anyway I went over with Lauren Versel (who originally was going on her own) to pump up the shmooze factor.

Thanks very much for answering my question. I know that Andy went to Cannes with his band to play in a party but I did not know that he had another mission. I am so glad that you have got enough money to make this movie. I do hope I will be able to see this movie in the big screen.